Emerging Technologies against Cybercrime

Document Type:Thesis

Subject Area:Technology

Document 1

However, these developments in the computer world have created new avenues for malicious activities. These criminal activities include online theft, piracy and fraud which are very common in the current 21st Century era. The cybercrimes often occur with intentions but not always, some online crimes happen unknowingly or due to ignorance. There is great sophistication in cybercrime due to the nature of the internet operations and the way the crimes can be organized. The cyber threats have severe and overwhelming impacts on the society, a country’s economy, and effects in a person’s life especially psychologically. The overdependence on the internet by governments, businesses and personal uses have triggered new ideas on the criminal minds on how to engage in their criminal activities [1].

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The other advantage cybercriminals have in the internet platform is that internet users are poor at applying the expected forms of protection when online. Also, internet criminal activities can take place anywhere regardless of the geographical location making it easy for criminals to carry out fraudulent activities swiftly. Cybercrimes are more serious than people think and different institutions have lost huge chunks of money to criminals online. Even though cyber threats seem less detrimental compared to physical crimes it ought to be a serious area of concern considering the world is steadily transforming into a digital world. The implications of the actions of such criminals are severe and that is why the research focuses significantly on the existing technologies that aid in the mitigation of cybercrimes.

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Implications of the threats include loss of essential financial data in huge companies. Businesses are always attacked because they possess valuable information that when stolen can be used against them. The criminals major on the weaknesses and loopholes in systems and the ignorance of the internet users. Another serious impact apart from the loss of confidential information is the tainting of the public image, and this affects both individuals and businesses. The research further uses different methodologies to analyze the existing technologies and those that are slowly emerging. Additionally, the methods study the effectiveness of these technologies used to fight cybercrimes. The results from the methodologies are then represented in form of figures for clear elaboration of the current situation. Discussion on the findings is also made before making conclusions and recommendations on the research.

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II. There are individuals who believe that the future world war will be based in the cyberspace while the other group denies the existence of cyber wars. There have not been any serious cyber-attacks in the globe yet and those that exist have not caused any serious impacts. According to Rid, a strong supporter of cyber war, wars are only related to politics, and therefore it is impossible to start war in the cyberspace [2]. He states that all the purported cases of cyber-attacks are merely fiction. According to Baylis, Wirtz & Gray, the cyberspace can only be used to castigate war, but the war cannot take place on the internet itself. The first threat is stolen data which is most often confidential and at times even important plans [4].

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Misuse of credentials is another internet security threat that tampers with an individual’s personal data. The final major security threat is in form of hijacked resources that often includes taking control of an individual’s online bank credentials. According to the report by the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) there are fifteen major cyber threats [5]. The mention thoughts however, cannot stand alone, they are interconnected to be fully realized. Additionally, there exists a malware whose sole purpose is to extort and steal money via internet and is known as ransomware. There are also cases where people attackers breach through individual’s personal data, assume ownership of the same and use it to perform criminal activities. This cyber threat is referred to as identity theft and more so affects banking and health systems.

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The mentioned threats graduate into crimes once the involved activities are actualized. Cyber threats and crimes are different in this sense; a crime only gets to be one when executed. Fortunately, there measures put in place that can identify and categorize these internet attacks [7]. Malicious attack detection is a significant method of dealing with unknown and unplanned internet attacks. There are different methods designed to handle different forms of malicious attacks. The Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) protocol is one of the strategies that is effective in the detection of malicious internet attacks and provide solutions on how to avoid the same [9]. Attackers are not the only lot to be blamed when it comes to cyber-attacks and crimes, the users of computer devices are to blame in most instances [6].

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The qualitative method makes it easy to make a conclusion on the thesis since the research covers an issue affecting the entire globe and already existing data can help in making conclusions [10]. Additionally, a deductive and empirical approach was used since the study employed the qualitative approach. Statistics from relevant sources were used and analyzed to test the viability of the methods used in cybersecurity. The use of qualitative approach was so effective since there are plenty of relevant data from authentic sources from online databases. In addition, the collected and used data from the sources were current and updated. A. Ratings on the Cyber Threats Fig 1 Cyber Threats (Malware) Malware is the leading security threat in the entire world and it affects any computer device that has access to the internet.

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Malware is categorized into various groups depending on the effect it has in devices and their sources. Among the malware, spyware and Trojan are the leading threats [11]. Spyware is very common as numerous cases of the same have been reported. Illegal online markets stand to be the leading mode of revenue earning online [12]. This kind of cybercrime is also known as the black market and entails trading illegal products and services such as drugs, pornographic materials and even weapons of mass destruction. The processes of such transactions are always encrypted and only programming gurus can hack through the involved sites. From the figure 2 above the approximate revenue earned through illegal online markets is $860 billion [12]. The other common cybercrime that is a source of income to criminals is the stealing of intellectual property online.

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Figure 3 indicates that companies value security as most important with 56% more than any other technology. D. Cyber Security Techniques and Technology Fig 4 Cybersecurity Techniques The cyberspace is fast being filled with enormous internet-related crimes and threats. This scenario has triggered organizations to establish plans and policies on how to manage and avoid the threats. According to statistics on research conducted by Nikhita Reddy, most companies consider the habits of users as the best way of handling cyber threats with 67%. Therefore, it is necessary to back up the data to secure locations either to backup servers or in the clouds. Backing up not only applies to companies but also to individuals owning computer devices and mobile phones. Contacts can be lost, emails and other important data and the best way to be prepared for such is through backups.

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According to the figure 4 above, virus protection and the use of firewalls have the same attention in cyber-attacks mitigation both of them at 35%. Viruses have the capacity of deleting files in the computer device and also wipe out the entire computer registry. Evolving technology in Cyber Security The use of biometric systems is fast developing and replacing the commonly used username and passwords. Passwords can be hacked and forgotten or even left carelessly, but biometric systems are nearly impossible to be hacked. Biometric authentication use fingerprint scanners, eye scanners and face scanners. No one can imitate a fingerprint and face structure as they are all unique to only one person. This authentication system can be used in almost all devices from mobile phones to laptops.

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These two elements of new technology encompass deep learning and can be configured to monitor how devices and the internet are used [15]. Artificial intelligence in this context is used to conduct behaviour analytics and to detect anomalous behaviour. Machine learning is used to categorize normal behaviour and potential threats. The uniqueness in deep learning lies in its capability to monitor not just the users of the computer devices but all the entities involved [15]. Artificial intelligence and machine learning tackles the existing persistent threats and mitigates all the possible attacks in a network. Anti-viruses and firewalls also help in preventing unauthorized users and harmful websites from accessing the network systems. Additionally, there are evolving and more modern technologies that are making the cyberspace more secure.

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Artificial intelligence and machine learning are some new forms of cyber threat control. The two technologies can be configured to differentiate normal and abnormal activities in the network. Also, the use of biometric authentication boosts the confidence of internet users as it is more secure compared to the use of passwords. ]: OXFORD UNIV PRESS, 2015, p. [2]M. Dunn Cavelty, "Thomas Rid, Cyber War Will Not Take Place", ERIS - European Review of International Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. Junger, L. Montoya and F. Overink, "Priming and warnings are not effective to prevent social engineering attacks", Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 66, pp. [7]K. com/2017/05/hacker-lexicon-guide-ransomware-scary-hack-thats-rise/. [Accessed: 19- Oct- 2018]. [8]D. Shesashaayee, "‘OTP Encryption Techniques in Mobiles for Authentication and Transaction Security", International Journal of Innovative Research in Computer and communication engineering, vol.

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